Merit Beauty Review: Clean, Minimalist Makeup

*Products were gifted but all opinions are my own.

I’m all about minimalist beauty so when I heard about the Merit Beauty launch I was definitely intrigued. Merit Beauty was created to reimagine luxury beauty by making it clean, well-edited, and accessible. The initial line contains all the basic products you need to create a beautiful and natural look while also being good for your skin.

About Merit Beauty

It was founded by Katherine Power who is also the founder and CEO of Who What Wear and Versed Skincare. When creating Merit Beauty, the team realized that people were looking for cleaner beauty products that also performed and make people look like the best (natural) version of themselves. And so Merit Beauty was born. The line contains a foundation stick, cheek color, highlighter, tinted lip oil, mascara, brow pomade, and a blending brush. All of the products are EU-Compliant, Paraban-Free, Sulfate-Free, Artificial Fragrance-Free, Cruelty-Free, Vegan, and dermatologist tested. Merit Beauty also cares about the planet and all of the orders are packaged in 100% recyclable packaging.

MERIT BEAUTY REVIEW

I was gifted two products of my choice from the brand so I decided to try out The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick and the Shade Slick Tinted Lip Oil. I am planning to try out more products from the brand and I’ll update this post when I do!

The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick

I loved that The Minimalist Perfecting Complexion Stick can be foundation, concealer, or a contour stick depending on how you use it. I decided to use mine as foundation/concealer so I went with a shade to match my skin. If you want to use it as a contour stick, just take a shade or two darker!

I love the look of this product. The stick is so pretty and it’s a perfect size for fitting in any bag. I love that it’s a no-mess foundation. You don’t have to worry about this opening up in your bag and spilling all over the place. The stick design also allows you to apply it without getting your hands messy. I just draw a few lines on my face and then buff it out with a foundation brush.

The coverage is light to medium so it still lets your natural skin shine through. My go-to “foundation” is ILIA’s Skin Tint which is very dewy and hydrating. The Merit Complexion Stick is definitely not as dewy or moisturizing but it doesn’t feel drying either. However, I do make sure to properly moisturize and prep my face before application. The Complexion Stick is more matte than ILIA’s Skin Tint and provides a little more coverage. I also love using the Complexion Stick as a concealer. I’ll use it on my dark circles under my eyes in combination with my ILIA Skin Tint on the rest of my face.

I took a guess on my shade color and tried to compare the descriptions with the shade I wear from ILIA. I went with the “Silk” shade and I think it’s a good match for my skin tone. If you need more help picking your shade you can email Merit with a picture of your face and other brands you use and they can help you pick the right color!

Overall, I’m pleased with the Merit Beauty Complexion Stick. My go-to is still the ILIA Skin Tint because it has SPF but I like to use the Merit stick on days when I want more coverage or as a concealer.

Shade Slick Tinted Lip Oil

I’m always wearing a lip color so I definitely wanted to give Merit’s Shade Slick a try. My lips are also always dry so I’m always on the hunt for lip colors that are hydrating as well. I decided to go with the Shade Slick in Au Natural which is described as a warm creme. I think it’s a great everyday color and looks like a peachy nude color on my lips.

I really like this tinted lip oil. It feels great on my lips and I think the color is beautiful. It’s a really small bottle though – like a travel size. I actually like the size because I have so many lip colors and I feel like I never end up using the whole bottle. BUT if you are planning on using this everyday exclusively then I don’t think it will last a long time.

Shop Merit Beauty

Overall Thoughts

I do really like the aesthetics of this line and the quality of the products is very nice as well. Next I would like to try out Flush Balm Cheek Color and the Mascara. Another thing I like about this line is that you get a free makeup bag with your first purchase from Meritbeauty.com. It’s so cute that it can be used as a clutch too!

Merit Beauty is also sold exclusively at Sephora.com! So if you prefer to shop at Sephora, make sure to add some Merit products to your cart!

Shop Merit Beauty At Sephora

Watch my Merit Beauty Makeup Routine

You can see the Merit Complexion Stick and Shade Slick in action below!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CK4TY21gRUW/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link